Saltmarsh Sparrow

[Ryan Schain]

Saltmarsh (sharp-tailed) Sparrows have always been a tough species for me to photograph. After wading a mile or two into a salt marsh with my bare feet, I located this bird literally seconds after the sun rose. The dawn light was excellent, and the bird paused for just a second on the outside of the reeds, before diving back inside them. This species has a very tiny range, and with a population of less than 250,000 birds (and declining), they are considered threatened.



September 2, 2009

Canon EOS 50D
Canon EF 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 L IS

1/250
f/5.6
360 mm
ISO 640
0 EV

[Floris van Breugel]

What wonderful light Ryan, nicely done. A bit much vegetation in the foreground (mostly the OOF bits), but overall a great effort.

[Randy Stout]

Ryan:

Nice environmental image, strong feel for his habitat. The out of focus foreground issue was mentioned, but it sounds like it is very difficult to get a clean shot. The reeds also gave uneven lighting, and it would be stronger if the head was more evenly illuminated. There is a moderate amount of noise in the background.

You need to get some surf shoes or something:) I always manage to step on nasty stuff when wading around, and the marsh isn't the most aseptic of places to get a cut or puncture in.

I also thought about cropping down from the top a bit, but that is a matter of choice and the image quality you have to work with.

Randy

[Ryan Schain]

Ryan:

Nice environmental image, strong feel for his habitat. The out of focus foreground issue was mentioned, but it sounds like it is very difficult to get a clean shot. The reeds also gave uneven lighting, and it would be stronger if the head was more evenly illuminated. There is a moderate amount of noise in the background.

You need to get some surf shoes or something:) I always manage to step on nasty stuff when wading around, and the marsh isn't the most aseptic of places to get a cut or puncture in.

I also thought about cropping down from the top a bit, but that is a matter of choice and the image quality you have to work with.

Randy

Randy,

Thanks for the input, it is much appreciated!

You're absolutely right, it's nearly impossible to get a clean shot of this species, and this shot would be considered "out in the open" haha

Luckily this particular marsh has a creek running through the center of it, which has a smooth clean, sandy bottom (because it comes right off a beach).

thanks again!